Blizzard Hits Berkshires; Updated Closure List
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So far, Clarksburg, Richmond, Pittsfield and North Adams have closed their town offices; Williamstown has limited departments open. We will continue to add to this list as cancellations and closures come in.
Driving throughout region is hazardous; Gov. Deval Patrick on Sunday told nonemergency workers in the executive branch to stay home today and urged private sector empoyers to do the same as a matter of pubic safety.
The National Weather Service late Saturday issued a winter storm warning for heavy snow from 4 p.m. on Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday for western and north central Massachusett, Southern Vermont and northern Connecticut. Gusts of up to 40 mph are expected and low to zero visibility for driving. Hundreds of flights have been canceled across the region.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 5 p.m. tonight; driving is hazardous and strong winds and drifting snow will make visibility poor.
What's Open
The BRTA is operating all bus routes. Great Barrington Town Hall, libraries and transfer station are all open. The Berkshire Mall and all stores are open.
All city offices including City Hall, the public library and Spitzer Center closed Monday. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink closed.
PITTSFIELD: A snow emergency has been declared from 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26, until 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Residents are reminded that vehicles may not be parked on any city streets during the snow emergency. Violators will be ticketed and vehicles towed. Mayor Ruberto is asking for cooperation from all residents so that crews can effectively and efficiently clear streets.
City Hall, Berkshire Athenaeum (the public library), the Senior Center and RSVP Volunteer Program closed Monday.
Pleasant Valley and Canoe Meadows sanctuaries are closed.
ADAMS: Town Hall is open. The library is closed.
CLARKSBURG: Town Hall closed Monday, Dec. 27. Snow emergency until 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28.
LENOX: Snow emergency in effect from Monday at 8 a.m. through Tuesday, Dec. 28, at 8 a.m. Any vehicles parked on any streets will be towed at the owner'ss expense for snow-removal purposes. No one is picking up the phone at Town Hall so it may be closed or have limited staff.
RICHMOND: Town Hall closed Monday, Dec. 27, and there will be no trash pickup. Trash will be picked up Tuesday, Dec. 28.
SHEFFIELD: No one is answering the phone at the town office.
WILLIAMSTOWN: WILLIAMSTOWN: The Municipal Building is open with reduced staff because of the storm. Inspection Services, town clerk, and town manager are open, as are Public Works and Police Department. All other departments are closed. Call 458-3500 or 458-5159 for information.
CLOSURES
Courts: All state courts are closed until noon today.
DMV: All Department of Motor Vehicle offices closed.
BerkshireRides has canceled all rides Monday through 6 p.m. Call the office for updated information at 413-664-0300.
General: Bisque & Beads, Thomas A Cadrett Ins Agency ....
Roundabout: The Berkshire Eagle is reporting that some its carriers were told by police to get off the road. The main iBerkshires office in North Adams is closed today but we can still be reached by e-mail at info@iberkshires.com or via twitter @iberkshires. An iBerkshires staffer stuck in the lovely state of Rhode Island reports shoveling at least 10 inches out of the driveway.
Original post: 11:15AM / Sunday, December 26, 2010
Gov. Deval Patrick will be updating media on storm preparations at noon at the state's emergency center in Framingham. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency offers advice on preparations before, during and after a storm.
Schools and colleges across the region are closed for Christmas vacation this week but we expect cancelations of other events. We will list them as soon as we hear about them and try to give updates as the storm moves. You can also check our Twitterfeed near the bottom of our homepage; we follow all the local television stations, utilities, towns and state agencies.
Please send cancellations to info@iberkshires.com and we will get the information out as soon as possible. If you have information regarding the storm — road closures, fender benders, bad road conditions, etc. — send them our way so we can get the word out. Send information and photos to info@iberkshires.com, tweet to @iberkshires or post on our Facebook page.
We're not seeing a hashtag yet so we're grabbing #berkblizzard.
PITTSFIELD: A snow emergency has been declared from 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26, until 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Residents are reminded that vehicles may not be parked on any city streets during the snow emergency. Violators will be ticketed and vehicles towed. Mayor Ruberto is asking for cooperation from all residents so that crews can effectively and efficiently clear streets. City Hall, Berkshire Athenaeum (the public library), the Senior Center and RSVP Volunteer Program closed Monday.
NORTH ADAMS: Mayor Dick Alcombright has declared a snow emergency for from 9 p.m. Sunday night until 6 p.m. on Monday for the forcasted heavy snows and high winds that may cause significant drifiting and visibility issues. This emergency will be assessed throughout the day and an update will be issued. Residents are asked to please be certain their vehicles are off the streets to facilitate the plowing and cleanup efforts. All city offices including City Hall, the public library and Spitzer Center closed Monday.
CLARKSBURG: Town Hall closed Monday, Dec. 27. Snow emergency until 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28.
RICHMOND: Town Hall closed Monday, Dec. 27, and there will be no trash pickup. Trash will be picked up Tuesday, Dec. 28.
WILLIAMSTOWN: WILLIAMSTOWN: The Municipal Building is open with reduced staff because of the storm. Inspection Services, town clerk, and town manager are open, as are Public Works and Police Department. All other departments are closed. Call 458-3500 or 458-5159 for information.
 Shot from the MassDOT camera last night on the Pike in Otis. Turnpike speed was reduced to 40 mph. Few traffic accidents have been reported. |
MassDOT as of early Sunday afternoon has more than 1,000 pieces of equipment treating and clearing roads, with a total of more than 4,000 pieces of equipment ready to address roads throughout the snow period. Before you drive, you can check online traffic cameras for live conditions on major roadways: www.mass.gov/511/cameras.
Blizzard conditions in east end of state prompt governor at 8:30 p.m. to tell nonemergency workers in executive branch not to come to work on Monday. He's also encouraging private-sector employees to do the same (riiight).
